Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL.
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL HOVER.

Watching a Great Gray Owl hunting voles over a field is a lesson in patience and opportunity. Like the owl, the photographer has to know when it's a good time to strike!
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL ON PERCH

The Great Gray Owl is a silent hunter. Often perched low to the ground, it is listening for the rustle of mice and voles moving under the snow. Its amazing hearing allows it to pick up those sounds from great distances at which point it will plunge into the snow and grope for its prey with its long legs and sharp talons.
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL LAUNCH

When a Great Gray Owl hears the sound of a mouse or vole under the snow it launches into action. Its swift dive will plunge it several feet into the snow, if necessary, to catch its prey in its talons.
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL HUNTING IN SNOWSTORM

For years I had dreamed of photographing a hunting Great Gray Owl in a snowstorm. One day my friend Pat & I stumbled on one just as heavy wet snow began to fall. Anxiously I mounted my camera and telephoto lens on my tripod sure that the bird would fly before I could get this shot. Fortunately, it waited just long enough before disappearing into the forest. Then the snow stopped just as abruptly, and the dream moment was gone! Lucky for me, the memory was captured forever in my camera.
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL FLIGHT

The Great Grey Owl is Manitoba's provincial emblem. Although not the largest of our owls by weight, it sports a 52 inch  (130 cm) wingspan that is impressive indeed. Every time I see one in my viewfinder, I thrill at the prospect of seeing it head in my direction. When these owls are hungry, they can be incredibly "tame" and almost oblivious to human presence as they hunt for voles under the snow. It is definitely my favorite owl.
GREAT GRAY OWL.
Dennis Fast > GREAT GRAY OWL.
GREAT GRAY OWL.
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